A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to automated merchandising/dispensing/vending and, in particular, to a push plate type dispensing module that can be removably and adjustably mounted to a horizontal dispensing tray, or other support, either singly or in combinations. the Dispensing Module is of the Type that Dispenses a Row of Inventory by Advancing the row forward.
B. Problems in the Art
There continues to be an explosion of new vending or dispensing regimes and contexts. For example, the traditional standalone automated can/bottle or snack vending machine can now vend such things as gift cards, cell phones, and other non-food or beverage items for consumer purchase. This has been further extended to dispensing of supplies to workers. Examples are drill or machine bits for machinists, surgical gloves to surgeons, and pharmaceuticals to nurses.
Another example is called micro markets. Instead of a single enclosed, standalone dispensing machine cabinet, inventory can be stocked on shelves, display cases, or other storage units, picked and removed by a consumer or user, and then brought by the consumer or user to a coin/bill/card reader or validator for payment or authorization which is separated from the stored position of the selected item. The validator or reader not only can accept payment or credit, it can do such things as keep track of sales/inventory or communicate to and from another device.
The National Automatic Merchandizing Association (NAMA) has defined “micro markets” as:                “A micro market is a self-checkout retail food establishment that replaces a bank of vending machines. In a micro market a customer picks up a product from an open rack display, a reach-in refrigerated cooler or freezer, then scans the UPC bar code or an RFID tag for each product at a payment kiosk. The customer pays with a single payment, be it cash, credit card or stored value card. Another unique feature of the micro market is that it operates without an employee present, just like vending machines. All micro markets are equipped with a 24 hour a day security system monitoring customers as they make their selections and checkout. Micro markets are designed to be in “closed locations.” This refers to a business that has a moderately secured facility for a known group of employees where the micro market can be located in a designated area away from heavy public traffic.”See NAMA Technical Bulletin Micro Markets 4-13 v.4.0 available at http://www.vending.org/images/pdfs/micro-market/Tech_W7_bulletin_Micro_Market_v4.0.pdf. Certain States and federal government agencies have enacted laws or regulations about these types of micro markets.        
The variety of product types, form factors, weights, temperature demands, and other characteristics or needs is immense in micro markets. The designer of such systems is faced with a number of considerations. Sometimes they are conflicting. Additional discussion of micro markets and dispensing can be found at U.S. 2015/0127478 (now issued U.S. Pat. No. 9,171,300); US2013/0332271, and US2011/0173549, each of which is incorporated by reference herein.
Some of these same issues also exist with more conventional automatic merchandising machines. As mentioned, innovations and demands relative to a wider range of items and environments to be dispensed from these machines presents challenges to the designer of an enclosed, self-contained automatic merchandising machine.
For example, the number of different dispensable products can be quite high. This implicates a wide variety of form factors, which implicates the need for different automated dispenser mechanisms. This conflicts with goals of economy and efficiency of both capital expenses and human resources for setting up and changing out different dispensers. Another example is economy and efficiency of control of multiple dispensers. On the one hand, different dispensers (e.g. different motors, different product holding structure, and different product conveying methods) are implicated for a variety of difference dispensable products, but this would complicate coordinated and automated control of those dispensing sub-systems.
Therefore, a variety of marketplace forces and factors have evolved that continue to challenge and change the industry. Some carry over from before. For example, it remains beneficial to innovate ways to reduce capital and operating costs. It remains beneficial to maximize space for inventory, wherever it is stored. It remains beneficial to reduce human resources in restocking. However, additional or new factors include such things as demands for vending or dispensing products that heretofore might not be envisioned or deemed possible. Additional factors have expanded demands for flexibility and the types, locations, and interaction between inventory and consumer, and with other machines, locations, and interested parties.
Therefore, there remains room for improvement in this technical field, both with respect to conventional automatic merchandising machines and micro markets.